Drilling operations are conducted on a drill rig that includes a drilling platform located above the drilling location. A derrick is provided on the platform to raise, support, and rotate a drill string. The drill string includes a bottom-hole assembly, which generally includes a drill bit for boring into the ground. As the drilling operation is conducted, drill pipes are connected end-to-end to form the drill string.
The drill pipes are provided on a rack and individually rolled onto a horizontal support, such as a catwalk. Both the rack and catwalk are generally located adjacent to the drilling platform with the catwalk being generally positioned perpendicular to the platform. Once on the catwalk, one end of the drill pipe is attached to a hoist connected to the derrick and raised to a vertical position on the drilling platform. The lower end of the tubular is then oriented over the existing drill string and connected to the upper end of thereof. The upper end of the drill pipe is attached to a drilling device, such as a top drive. The drill pipe is then connected to the drill string, forming a continuation thereof, by rotating the drill pipe relative to the drill string, a process known as “making up” the drill pipe.
Individual lengths of drill pipe are relatively short, e.g., about 10-15 meters each. To reduce the number of times the drilling device is disconnected from the drill string and a new drill pipe is connected to the drilling device and the upper end of the drill string, the drill pipes may be assembled into stands of two or more pipes prior to being moved over well center. Generally, the pipes in the individual stands are not fully torqued together. The stands of pipe are fully torqued once they are brought into connection with the drill string, e.g., using an iron roughneck.